


Wrecked

by orphan_account



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alexander is v sad all the time, Alternate Universe, And they were enemies. Oh my god they were enemies, Eliza hates Alexander’s bitchass, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Hamliza, Hamliza Pirate AU, Is this toxic?, John is angry constantly, Laurliza friendship because it’s what I deserve, No one is happy until the end, Pirates, Romance, Slow Burn, everyone is a simp, how do you tag?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24921199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: As the daughter of King Phillip Schuyler, Eliza sees it as her duty to serve her family and obey their rules by finding a prince to marry.Captain Alexander Hamilton is a cold pirate who could ever only care for treasure, keeping his crew in line and is determined to do whatever to reach his goal. Even if it means kidnapping the princess and heir to the throne, Angelica Schuyler.When a mishap occurs and Alexander's crew kidnaps Eliza instead of the 'much more valuable' Angelica, she finds herself stuck in the pirate life and finding her way back to her family.Over time, Eliza finds herself growing fonder of the crew and the pirate life, especially the captain.
Relationships: Alexander Hamilton/Elizabeth "Eliza" Schuyler
Comments: 17
Kudos: 52





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn't every day that Alexander saw his plans fall so flawlessly into place. He wasn't bad at planning out schemes nor did he have the awful luck of failing on carrying them out each time. After all, what kind of captain would he be if he wasn't as cunning and intelligent as he was?

The paper in between his two hands weighed like thousands of stones despite being as flimsy and weightless as feathers. Its message thundered in Alexander's head like a drum and he couldn't quit his mind from ringing.

Indeed, fate had been kind to him. His old friend, Kitty, who he maintained contact with ever since she'd left the ship and retired to live the quiet and peaceful life she'd always longed for, was kind enough to have brought him the news.

Princess Angelica Schuyler, daughter of King Phillip and Queen Catherine Schuyler, eldest sister of Elizabeth and Margarita Schuyler, heir to the throne, was betrothed to Prince John Barker Church.

If this information would have landed on anybody else's hands, they would have rejoiced the happiness of such a great match and surely would have spilled a few tears of joy. But not Alexander.

According to Kitty, the princess would be married in no less than a month and a ball would be thrown to celebrate the engagement in three day's time. He certainly had no intention to go. Go in good natures, at least.

This sort of thing was the one he dreamed of as a pirate. While other pirates would keep their eyes locked on other treasures like gold, diamonds, and jewels, Alexander thought bigger.

Why be limited to the jewels on a wealthy woman's neck? Why not see the bigger treasure and fight harder to get it?

This train of thought was soon interrupted by a hushed knock on his door, followed by the distant creaking of wood.

"Come in," Alexander mumbled loud enough for them to hear. Soon followed three pirates. The first one, Laurens, made it evident how tired he was from his frown and rubbing at the mussed curly hair atop his head. The second and third ones, Mulligan and Lafayette, staggered tiredly through the door and tried with all their might to feign energy.

"Captain," They said as soon as they stepped in, bowing their heads slightly. Alexander stood up from his desk chair and gestured towards the empty seats before him.

"Have a seat, men," He ordered and traveled to the other side of the room while the pirates did as ordered. Alexander grabbed four golden goblets that had been lying in his cabins for too long since they'd been stolen and grabbed a bottle of wine for the men.

The pirates stared blankly at their captain, all too confused to understand why they'd been called there so late in the night.

"Captain," Laurens broke the silence. "Why did you call us?"

Alexander seemed to have not heard him as he continued to pour the red wine into the goblets, placing them before the men with a serious expression.

"I'll get to that, Laurens. Have a drink, why don't you?" Alex shot back, before sitting upon his chair. Laurens, with hostility and doubt, took the goblet and allowed himself a sip of the liquid, Hercules and Lafayette soon following.

Once they finished taking their first sips of wine for what seemed like ages, Alexander took a large chug from it and slammed it down on his desk.

"I can imagine that you are all wondering what you're doing here." Alexander removed his green pirate hat and left it near the right side of his desk.

"That why I asked," Laurens replied, unfazed. While Alexander usually wouldn't accept those kinds of replies from his crew, the trio was usually an exception as long as they didn't go too far as to injure his pride or defy him.

Without another word, Alexander took the letter near him and passed it towards Lafayette, gesturing with his hand soon after. "Read it."

Quirking his brows up, Lafayette began to read it, often muttering the few words he still couldn't pronounce in English before passing it to Mulligan and then Laurens. They all read it as if they had no clue of what the captain planned.

"The Schuyler's will have a ball," Alexander continued, "And it will be open to the public. I know we've stolen quite a few jewels from the castle but I've come to realize that maybe there's just one we really need."

"What? A crown? A ring? Statue? We've seen it all before," Mulligan responded.

"What shall it be this time?" Lafayette replied.

Alexander leaned back against his chair, twisting his goblet in circles before speaking. "The princess."

Laurens, who was taking a sip of his drink, spat it out and nearly choked from the mere shock. Lafayette had turned as still and pale as a statue and Hercules' eyes popped wide.

"I'm sorry, did we mishear you? Or have you actually lost your goddamn mind?! This is a princess we're talking about, not a fucking diamond! We could get killed for this!" Laurens huffed angrily, slamming his hands down on Alexander's desk.

Alexander stood up slowly, snatching his hat, placing it back on his head, and staring down at Laurens threateningly. "You didn't mishear me nor have I lost my mind. However, you seem to forget your place and who you're talking to."

Laurens was about to reply but decided not to, still glaring daggers into Alexander's head as he sat down and mumbled profanities beneath his breath.

"Captain, with all due respect, this is more dangerous than anything we've ever done. This is more complex and more difficu—" Lafayette began before Alexander interrupted.

"You are brave and strong men, I do not doubt that. There's a reason I want you three for the job," Alexander replied and strolled across the cabin.

"There will certainly be guards all around and they'll see through us right away," Hercules added.

"Kitty has informed me that it's a masquerade ball. Everyone, including the servants and the guards, will wear masks. They won't notice," Alexander explained, whirling around on his heels and facing them.

"For now, we will continue to sail and we will discuss this later on. You are dismissed." Alexander replied coldly and turned to his window, gazing out into the cold, dark evening sky.

The trio soon left, muttering to themselves while Alexander waited for them to exit so he could be alone again. He couldn't sleep now. Not when he had a plan. And he couldn't let any detail change.

Sitting back down on his chair, he stretched and reached for his quill, writing out his plan which seemed to perfect to fail.

Still, it was so perfect that something had to go absolutely wrong in it.


	2. Chapter 2

The princess let out an irritated sigh as she traveled out the dining room and into the great halls of the castle, reaching for her skirts and lifting them while she began to strut swiftly. She mumbled to herself, wondering where her sisters could be.

It was normal and not unusual for Peggy to suddenly disappear and hide inside the palace for her pure enjoyment. In fact, no one thought it strange anymore when a maid could be heard groaning out loud. But Eliza being missing was definitely a peculiar thing, considering that she was as punctual as anyone ever could be.

Their maid had looked all around the castle, checked every room, asked every guard and servant but couldn't find either of the two princesses. This could only mean that Angelica had to be the one to search for them, given that she always had an idea of where they were.

Her heels clicked against the marble floors, her footsteps growing faster. To say that she was annoyed was an understatement. She wouldn't usually mind her younger sisters' antics and would, in fact, enjoy them. But today was simply too important for her to play around.

Angelica and her mother were beyond excited for the ball tonight, her mother making it a bit more clearer to everyone. Knowing that soon she would be walking down the aisle to her future husband filled her heart with joy.

Her mother and father took their time before they'd fallen in love with each other, already married. Angelica believed that she was extremely lucky for having someone like John who she immediately clicked with.

But now, she had to remove her fiancé from her mind and search for her two lost sisters, her mood shifting from happy to desperate when she'd returned her thoughts to them.

They were not in their rooms or the ballroom that was nearly decorated for the ball that night or the kitchen or the music room or their library.

Peggy often spent her days in the music room, playing her flute for hours until her stomach rumbled with hunger.

Eliza nearly always could be found in the back of their castle's library, curled up on a chair with a book on her lap and her eyes trained on its pages. Angelica would sometimes join her to simply rest on the chaise and calm herself, finding peace in her sister's quiet nature.

Closing the library doors, Angelica groaned and slammed her forehead against the doors with irritation. If she didn't know better, she would say that they weren't even in the castle.

But she hadn't lost hope, knowing that Peggy couldn't go ten minutes of her life without making a racket around the castle. Just as she had predicted, her ears picked up the sound of glass shattering and something crashing against the wall with a thud.

"There we go," Angelica sighed and rolled her eyes before removing her forehead from the doors, strutting down the halls and towards the source of the noise, her father's office.

Upon arriving before the room, she turned the knob and opened the doors wide before dodging an object launched towards her. Her headache only worsened at seeing both her sisters with wooden swords on their hands.

"Don't blame me for this! You were the one who agreed!" Peggy jabbed a finger at Eliza's shoulder and let go of the sword.

"But I specifically told you to be careful and you didn't listen!" Eliza retorted, pulling her left fist to the side of her hip and glaring down at her sister.

"Well, I'm not going to—" Peggy continued, still not aware of Angelica's presence.

"What happened here?" Angelica finally walked into the room, closing the door behind her and speaking in an angry whisper.

Eliza and Peggy turned their heads towards her, their skin turning pale and their eyes widening. Eliza dropped her sword to the ground and kicked it behind her, still refusing to look away from Angelica's icy glare.

"Angelica, whatever you have to say...Eliza started it!" Peggy pointed a finger at Eliza who quickly denied her words.

"Margarita, you were bored and when you get bored, you keep insisting. And all because of a game—" Eliza spoke angrily.

"Enough! Enough, enough." Angelica lifted a hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes tight. "You're lucky it was me who found you two. If mother—"

"If mother found us, she'd scold us for three minutes before suddenly shifting the conversation to talks of suitors." Peggy scoffed and crossed her arms before her chest.

"Margarita, I cannot risk anything for tonight and you know how important it is for me. Would it kill you to behave?" Angelica retorted angrily, seeing as Peggy opened and closed her mouth for a response that never came.

"And you," she spoke to Eliza, "How could you agree to this? Look at this mess, Eliza! What were you thinking?"

"Forgive me—" Eliza bowed her head before wincing at Angelica's harsh voice.

"Wasn't Prince André visiting you earlier today? Have you simply left him hanging like a worm on a hook?" Angelica interrogated and at this, Eliza bit her lip and looked away.

"And you've left him to what? To fence in father's office and break half of his possessions?" She added.

"I apologize, Angelica. But I will admit, I cannot stand the prince," Eliza said and moved towards the other side of the room to pick up the objects on the floor.

"And you're speaking like mother," Peggy added, receiving a glare from both sisters. "What? It's true. Any other day—"

"True. Any other day. But this is not any other day but a celebration of my engagement to Prince John Church. I'll be married in a week from now and I can't just look around for you two!" Angelica grumbled.

Eliza, who had been picking up an empty bottle of ink and placed it on the desk, walked up to Angelica and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Ange, I'm sorry that all this happened. I was just looking for a distraction today and I wasn't thinking of the consequences," Eliza apologized sincerely and even Angelica in her furious mood had to let go of her breath and smile at her before taking Eliza's hands in hers.

"It's alright. I'm just nervous over tonight," Angelica admitted, looking down at her hands before feeling Eliza squeezing them comfortingly.

"Tonight will be everything you've dreamt it would be and more." Eliza pulled an arm around her sister's shoulders. "Close your eyes."

Angelica did so with a small smile as she took in a breath.

"Imagine yourself walking down the stairs and into the ballroom, everyone you know is there to congratulate you and John and everything is perfect. You see John and take his hand for a dance—"

"And I trip on my own dress and fall on my face and everything is ruined—" Angelica whispered worriedly before Eliza broke in.

"But before you can fall, he catches you and you dance together," Eliza smiled and leaned her head against her sister's. "Angie, everything will be perfect. I promise."

Angelica hummed happily, slowly blinking her eyes open before pulling away harshly from her Eliza's hold. "Oh! I almost forgot why I came here! Mother wanted us all to be there to greet the guests and she does not want us to be late!"

"I can't believe it," Peggy drawled on sarcastically. "What a surprise."

Both Angelica and Eliza gave Peggy a cold look before rolling their eyes and smiling at her.

"Go on," Eliza said and laid a soft kiss on Angelica's forehead. "You and Peggy get ready, I'll call the maid so she can clean this mess without father noticing and I'll see you there at the party."

Angelica nodded and motioned for Peggy to go with her to their separate rooms, leaving Eliza there to find the maid. She made sure to tidy up as much as she could so that the maid wouldn't find herself in a mess of a room.

As she left the office, gently shutting the doors, Eliza could hear murmurs and the sound of someone stumbling to the ground, followed by a shush from another. She jerked her head towards the sound and held her breath, her hand still pressed against the doorknob.

She moved down the hall cautiously and towards the noise, taking delicate steps and still holding her breath. Before reaching the end of the hall and turning towards the corner where Eliza was sure the noise came from, she was called.

"Your highness! Your highness, come here! We must get you ready for tonight!" The maid exclaimed, halting Eliza as she was near the corner.

Eliza chewed on her lip and glimpsed past the corner, finding nothing but the same statues that stood past that hall. No people. No sound. Nothing.

"I'm coming!" Eliza shouted and lifted her skirts before moving towards the servant, completely oblivious to the turmoil that would await her that night.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is a nightmare," Hercules declared and pulled on the black bow on his neck, trying to loosen it up so he could inhale. "Do the servants here even breathe?"

Laurens fiddled with the buttons of his peacock-blue coat, trying to close it around his chest yet finding that it was too tight to even do so. "It's debatable. The question is if they even eat. How are they so skinny?"

It hadn't been so difficult to find their disguises for that night's ball as they believed it would be. Luckily, three servants happened to pass by, already dressed for the occasion, the moment that the three snuck in through the window.

They just wished the servants' clothing would have been their sizes.

Leaning his back against the wall of the room they'd been using, Lafayette watched with a disappointed yet amused look as his two partners struggled with their disguises, having already dressed completely without a struggle and even placed on his jade-green mask.

"Mon dieu, quelle honte..." Lafayette murmured to himself, chuckling lowly before receiving a cold gaze from both of his comrades.

"Oh, I'd shove my boot into your—" Laurens grumbled, swinging a fist forward but being stopped by how tightly the sleeves of his coat fit around his arms.

Hercules stifled a laugh as he finally gave up with his bow and picked up his and Laurens' masks which were the same shade as Lafayette's.

"Make sure not to break the coat, John. It's such a nice one—" Hercules said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder before he jerked away.

"You and your goddamn tailor garbage can leave me alone." John took his mask and placed it around his head.

"Jackie, don't be so vulgar." Lafayette placed an arm around his shoulders. "You'll let one of your kind remarks slip at the party and everyone will see through us."

Laurens scoffed and elbowed Lafayette in the stomach lightly before turning to both. "Are we all set? Hercules?"

Mulligan raised a portion of rope before pulling it back down and placing his mask on. "Got it."

"Lafayette?" He turned to look at him.

"Here it is," Lafayette responded and raised the tiny vial of liquid, shoving it back into his pockets.

"Remember the plan. We'll be handing out wine and we will put the drug into the princess's glass before the toast. Rupert mentioned that it will take a fast effect on her so we need to lead her out quickly," Laurens explained the plan once again, not wanting to forget it himself.

"We'll lead her out and—" He continued.

"We know the plan, Jackie." Hercules straightened himself. "You've mentioned it five times today and you're giving me a headache."

"Perfect." Laurens made his way towards the door and opened it wide with a forced smile. "After you both, gentlemen."

Both pirates went past him and gave him a strange look as he stood by the door, acting like a gentleman for once in his life. Laurens took notice of this and quickly returned to his usual scowl.

"I'm practicing for tonight or would you rather I say move along to some duke or nobleman?" Laurens explained, receiving a quiet Ah from Hercules.

Once Lafayette and Hercules had gotten past him, Laurens closed the door, looked around, and found that the coast was clear. Adjusting the mask, Laurens trotted behind them and kept looking from side to side cautiously.

They couldn't allow one mistake tonight.

~~~

Eliza pinched the skirts of her elegant sapphire blue ball gown and walked the stairs, being careful to not trip or slip on her way down. She didn't mind the amount of makeup that had been slapped onto her face or how tight the bun on her head was. This was what Angelica wanted. She'd do anything for her sister.

From where she stood, she could see Angelica, her mother, Peggy and her father already there to greet everyone. Catherine took notice of Eliza's presence and turned her head towards her, waving a hand for her to hurry.

When Eliza made her way down beside her mother, she noticed one thing. Her mother was smiling. Not a gentle curl of the lip that she almost always wore on her face but a bright toothy smile.

"The guest will be here in a few minutes, girls," Catherine said and turned her vision to Eliza. "André said—"

"Was it important?" Eliza responded, bored. "Is it worth mentioning?"

"It is. He wishes to speak with us tomorrow. As well as a dance with you tonight," Phillip added, hiding back a smile.

Eliza chewed on her lip and looked down with a frown before Catherine lifted her daughter's chin up with her thumb.

"Mister André is good, Eliza. He's a decent man and I think that if you took the time, you'd find that he's quite charming," Catherine said, her grin turning into a smirk.

"He may be, mama." Eliza nodded. "But I do not want to talk of marriage yet, especially tonigh—"

"The guests have arrived," A servant informed the family, leaving to the ballroom with a bow. Catherine gave her daughters a wave and with that gesture, all three of them lifted their masks to their faces.

Angelica's mask matched her mauve gown that she'd picked out for the night, same as Peggy's daffodil yellow gown and mask and Eliza's sapphire gown and mask. Catherine wore a crimson dress and Phillip matched her colors as well.

"Smile, dance, and enjoy tonight, my girls," Catherine whispered, directing herself to Angelica with soft eyes. "Especially you, Angelica. I'm so proud of you."

Angelica smiled and bowed her head, looking up to see the guests entering, among them her fiancé who gave her a smile upon finding her eyes in the crowd. André entered as well, making Eliza look at everyone but him in an attempt to ignore the prince.

The family stood there for a while, greeting everyone. Angelica received many blessings and congratulations, responding with the fondest words as Catherine took in the guests' expressions of awe at their party with a smile.

Once their guests had entered the ballroom and were already happily gossiping and mingling with the others, Eliza believed it would be alright to enter since her sisters had already done so. As she moved past her mother, Eliza felt her grab her wrist and pull her back gently.

"Please talk to André. He fancies you and everyone in this room can see it, Eliza," Catherine whispered, receiving Eliza's nod with a smile and patting her daughter in the back.

If it was true that André fancied her and everyone there already knew it, it would be best that none of them got their hopes up and would be best if they expected the least from Eliza.

Instantly as she entered the ballroom, Eliza swiftly dodged everyone in her path and kept an eye out for a flash of yellow or mauve. She already knew that André recognized her even with her mask on and speaking with him or even glancing at him was not part of her plan for tonight.

Once she'd spied Peggy, Eliza moved across the crowded room, often being forced to stop when a guest managed to recognize her and strike up a conversation with her. By the time Eliza was through with talking with them, she wasn't even sure if Peggy still stood in the same place.

Luckily, she was in the same spot, chatting with a lady who was most likely boring Peggy to death as the other guests had done to Eliza.

"And, oh my, what a charming gown you have! I would give anything for something like that!" The lady exclaimed before looking down at Peggy with an envious sneer.

"Oh, would you?" Peggy replied, sarcasm dripping from her tongue in a way that was impossible for the lady to miss.

"Why, yes. And—" The lady noticed Eliza approaching them and turned to look at her.

"Peg—" Eliza halted herself and cleared her throat, folding her hands gracefully by her waist. "Margarita, mother wishes to speak with you."

"Urgently?" Peggy looked up at Eliza with hope, her eyes shining and pleading to get away from the lady.

"Very."

Peggy could barely hold back a smile and yet managed to do so before turning her head to the lady and giving her a curtsy. "Forgive me, I must go. It was delightful speaking with you."

"Come, Margarita." Eliza outstretched her arm and curled it around her sister's, walking away as fast as she could from the lady.

"Delightful," Peggy said in a mockingly sweet voice. "Delightful, my ass."

"Quiet, Peggy. And hold your tongue, that language is so vulgar." Eliza slapped her sister in the arm scoldingly and looked forward with a sly smile. "I lied. Mother didn't call you for anything."

Peggy twisted her head at Eliza and chuckled softly, shoving against her side softly. "You're an angel, Lizzie."

"I've lied for you, Margarita. I would hardly call myself an angel," Eliza shot back and continued to roam through the room, often swearing that she'd seen Angelica before realizing that it wasn't her.

"I'm thirsty. And hungry. No, I'm starving." Peggy put a hand on her stomach, feeling it rumble and ache.

"We'll get you somethi—"

"Elizabeth?" The all too familiar voice rang from behind the two sisters, Eliza already dreading the sound of it before whirling around with a forced smile.

"Mister André! I wasn't hoping to see you!" She forced her words, subconsciously squeezing her arm closer to her sister.

"I told you I would be here," he replied and looked down at Peggy, bowing his head towards her.

"Well," Eliza bit her lip, "I must have forgotten. Silly me, always forgetting myself, aren't I?"

André gave off a small uncomfortable chuckle before stretching a gloved hand towards Eliza. "Would you allow me a dance, Elizabeth?"

"I—" Eliza gulped, being interrupted by Peggy.

"Can't. She can't, André. We have to get to our mother—" Peggy said, shooting a glance at Eliza as she spoke.

"I just finished talking with your mother. She said that I was allowed a dance with Elizabeth," André responded, his voice still formal.

Eliza pitied him. He didn't seem so awful. He was simply not the kind of person Eliza wanted by her side. There hadn't been one suitor that Eliza was drawn to. André was simply one of the most respectable ones.

Peggy gave her a sympathetic look before unhooking her arm from Eliza's and whispering in her ear. "Good luck with Mister André here."

Eliza mouthed a quiet thank you to Peggy, turning her vision to see André's hand outstretched.

"May I have this dance?" He inquired, his eyes traveling up her face for a response.

"Sure," Eliza retorted, hoping that he hadn't noticed the sarcasm in her words. It seemed like he didn't, for his eyes brightened as she placed her hand in his.

Leading her to the center of the ballroom, Eliza and André stood before each other as the music started, André keeping his eyes on her and Eliza looking down to avoid his gaze. As the music began, André snaked a hand around her waist, making Eliza tense up and back away suddenly.

He simply pulled her back in and gave her a soft smile, clearing his throat as they both placed themselves into position. Both began to sway and dance to the music as everyone else was, Eliza's grip on his shoulder tightening.

"Elizabeth, I've been meaning to ask you something," André started and Eliza could already feel her stomach tightening and her head spinning.

"Oh, really?" Eliza spun around, her dress swirling around her before she returned to André. "Do tell."

André bit the inside of his cheek and Eliza could see the way his cheeks slowly paled and his breathing fastened.

Oh, god. What was it this time?

"I've been speaking with your mother..."

The ground in which Eliza stood seemed to wobble and draw her towards it, her ankles barely handling the weight of her own body. She had a faint idea of what he could have been speaking with her mother.

"I've heard," she shot back, turning in circles along with her partner.

"It's something I've been considering for a while. And now that your sister is about to be married herself, I thought that you might be thinking of it as well."

"Marriage?" Eliza feigned, quirking a brow. "Who would I even marry? It's not in my thoughts, sir."

"It's not?" André asked, making her spin around once again.

"Absolutely not. I do not wish to be married yet," Eliza replied, seeing Angelica in the crowd of dancers with John and smiling to herself but frowning when she brought herself back to reality with André before her.

"And what about you, sir?" Eliza asked. "Do you think of marriage?"

"Elizabeth, I think of marriage and I think if you," André replied. The world froze for Eliza and his voice suddenly faded away into white noise.

She couldn't marry him. Eliza could not allow this, not now. Had her mother formed a part in this? Had she known that André would ask her this tonight? Angelica's night?

"Miss Elizabeth?" André's voice rang out faintly and perhaps Eliza heard it but her mouth ran dry of words and her neck felt as if it was being squeezed to the point of snapping.

Her vision blurred and the dancing ladies and gentlemen turned into smudges of bright colors in a great big painting. Her knees shook until they gave in and Eliza would have dropped to the ground if André hadn't leaned forward and caught her.

Despite the way she felt about him, Eliza wrapped her arms around the back of his neck to support herself, finding something odd and peculiar when her eyes focused once again.

One of the servants held a tray of wine glasses and pulled out a tiny vial from his pockets, flicking the cap off with his thumb and poured the liquid of the vial into one of the drinks, looking around suspiciously before emptying it and tossing the bottle apart.

"What is he..." Eliza murmured, suddenly being pulled back by André.

"Are you alright? You nearly fainted there." André looked over her with concern before Eliza patted his chest with one hand, the other pressed against her forehead.

"I'm alright. But I must go." Eliza jerked herself away from him and raised her dress, being careful not to trip since André would no longer be there to keep her from collapsing.

"And..." she turned her head, biting her lip as she wondered if she should really say this. "I'll think about your proposal."

André's eyes widened before he smiled and bowed and for a moment, Eliza regretted giving him false hope. But her mother needed to know that Eliza hadn't completely rejected him and left him cold in the masquerade.

Her thoughts returned to the man she'd observed, his looks around the ballroom shady and posture tense. That man, whoever he was, meant harm. Eliza could not allow that to happen tonight, less at Angelica's ball.

Taking in a deep breath, Eliza puffed out her chest and tried to look as tough and fearless as she could in a ballgown before strutting towards him. The guests glared at her when she pushed past them forcefully, not even turning to say sorry but keeping her eyes on the servant.

Meters before Eliza could walk towards the man and confront him, she heard the loud yet poised voice of her mother.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention?" Catherine said loudly with every head turning to look at her. Of course, it wasn't a question.

Eliza grumbled to herself and turned around, walking swiftly towards her family that now stood together for the toast. Angelica and John were standing beside each other, sneakily curling their fingers together. Peggy observed this and made a foul face which would have made Eliza giggle if she wasn't so worried.

"I would like to thank you all for coming to celebrate this evening with us. As you may know, my eldest daughter has met a fine young man, one which has since then earned our trust and Angelica's heart," Catherine spoke.

"Prince John Church has proven himself to be an honorable man, one which could not be a finer fit for our princess. As you all know, our daughter is heir to the throne and along with John, I believe that they will bring great things for our kingdom."

Catherine waved a hand to one of the servants to come forward. Eliza promptly recognized the man but didn't have a chance to confront him since he rapidly handed each one of them a glass except for Catherine who took her glass herself. The man then left the room instead of staying.

"Let us have a toast..." Catherine raised her glass, inviting everyone to do the same. "For this union and the future of our kingdom."

She brought the glass to her lips and took a gulp of the liquid before pulling it away and smiling at the guests who also drank from their own glasses. Catherine was about to speak again but then raised a hand to her forehead, moaning quietly.

Phillip placed a hand on her back, his eyes showing his worry. "Kitty, are you alright?"

"I'm—I'm quite alright, Phil. Just a sudden headache, I believe," Catherine whispered and looked back at the guests who now mumbled in worry.

"Friends," Catherine spoke to the crowd once again, "I am so honored to have you—"

And like a flash of thunder, Catherine collapsed, dropping her glass over herself and falling cold. The guests gasped and the guards quickly moved towards the family.

"Catherine!" Phillip dropped to the ground, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist and lifting her up. Angelica crouched beside her mother before Phillip raised a hand to keep her away.

"Call the doctor!" Angelica shouted at one of the servants, waving them away before they ran off to find the doctor.

Eliza stood frozen, a hand placed atop her mouth to keep herself from breathing too harshly and possibly fainting as well. Finally, her father ran off from his daughters with his wife pressed against his chest.

"I'll go with you!" Eliza called and went behind her father. She stopped for a second and shouted at her sisters. "Take care of the party!"

Angelica and Peggy nodded, leaving Eliza with a sense of relief before she remembered her mother and ran behind her.

"Don't let it be bad, don't let it be bad, don't let it be bad," Eliza prayed quietly as she ran behind her father through the halls, worry overcoming her body.

~~~

Her mother would be fine. That's what the doctor had said. Nothing seemed all that peculiar and Catherine continued to breathe normally if not more calmly.

Soon, her father returned to the party, informed the guests that the queen was alright and that the party was over. The guests weren't too furious about it, considering the Schuyler's situation.

Angelica and Peggy visited Eliza and her mother as soon as they could but Eliza simply explained all that she knew, making one thing clear: Their mother was alright and would survive this.

What she didn't mention was that she might have known who caused all this.

Even now, hours after the party was over and everyone was sleeping, Eliza couldn't stop thinking of the man who poisoned her mother. If this hadn't been a masquerade, the man would have been caught in no time.

But what she couldn't understand is why, if he meant to harm the queen, hadn't the poison killed her? Her mother fainted but she could have been killed. Why hadn't she?

Pulling the soft sheets from her body, Eliza removed herself from the bed and slipped on her slippers. It must have been midnight by now. The ballroom would be empty and Eliza could be alone to investigate and find some answers.

She slipped on a robe atop her nightgown and slowly pushed the door of her room open, a gust of wind from the chilly night atmosphere pulling her hair back and making her shiver.

The halls were empty and lit only by the candles on the walls of the palace. Everything was quiet to the point that Eliza could listen to her own heart beating against her ribcage. A sickening feeling invaded her mouth yet she only gulped and proceeded.

Perhaps it was her own head playing games with her or her paranoia taking things too far but even now, Eliza could hear whispers around the palace despite being all alone.

Minutes later, she'd arrived at the ballroom and shoved the doors open with a deep breath. Everything was still filthy. Wine had been spilled on the floor, remains of food were scattered across the ground and there were even masks on empty tables that no one had bothered to clean.

Still, the mess didn't matter. She needed to find answers before anything worse happened. Eliza ran to the corner of the room where she'd seen the man spill the liquid into the glasses and dropped herself to the ground, looking for an empty bottle.

"Where are you? Come on, come on," Eliza muttered to herself as she moved her hand across the floor, trying to find the bottle in that darkness.

Finally, she heard the glass clink against the wall and smiled, satisfied with herself. "Gotcha!"

Eliza took the bottle in her hands, supporting herself on a nearby chair as she stood and lifted the bottle to observe it better. And in the moonlight, she noticed a tiny purple drop from the vial still at the bottom.

That couldn't help her. But if she simply knew who that man was—

"Now!" Laurens' voice called out from behind her and before Eliza could even see where the voice came from, she felt someone pull a rope around her body tightly and press her against them.

"Who are you?! What are you—Let me go!" Eliza cried and kicked at the air while trying to pull her arms out. "Help! Help me! Please!"

"Why isn't she asleep?!" Hercules, who held her against him, interrogated Lafayette.

"Things did not go...as planned," Lafayette replied, his words seeping with shame.

"Things did not go as planned?!" Laurens mocked, furious. "You think we don't see that?!"

"Help! Someo—" Eliza wailed, her cries muffling as Hercules clasped a hand against her mouth.

"Well, whatcha gonna do now, Laurens?" Lafayette spat back. "Because right now, we're about to get caught because of a screaming girl!"

"I—I don't—We have to—Herc, quiet that girl before she makes my ears bleed!" Laurens shouted desperately, growing tired of Eliza's screaming.

"Alright, this is going to hurt when you wake up," Hercules said to Eliza and before she could understand what he meant, he'd banged his fist harshly against the top of her head, knocking her out in an instant.

"Hercules!" Laurens and Lafayette both protested against his solution.

"What? I think I solved the—" Hercules replied and positioned his fists against his sides, forgetting that he was still carrying Eliza and allowing her to crash into the floor.

"No! You dropped the—" Laurens growled.

"I am well aware that I dropped the princess. I am human and I make mistakes," Hercules replied cooly.

Laurens was about to comment but halted when he heard the guards shouting and nearing the room. "We've got company."

"Wonderful, you have ears. You can hear." Lafayette rolled his eyes, pointing at Hercules and then at Eliza so that the pirate could pick the princess up.

"They're near. We need to find a windo—" Laurens stated before Lafayette interrupted him.

"There's a window behind Hercules or have you gone blind as well?" Lafayette sassed. John sneered, slapping Lafayette across the back of his head and slamming the windows open.

It wasn't a long way to go. They could climb down with the rope.

"Herc, I'll need the rope. Trust me, she won't move." Laurens stretched out his hand and waited for his comrade to drop the rope into his hand. As soon as Hercules did so, John tied the rope around the leg of one of the tables and dropped the rest of the string out the window.

"You first!" Laurens pushed Hercules who went down the rope, his arm tight around Eliza who was hanging on his shoulder.

Lafayette then climbed down the rope, leaving Laurens as the last. As Laurens pulled his legs out the window, the guards slammed the doors open and noticed Laurens escaping.

"Intruder!" One of them shouted and pointed at him.

"Not an intruder!" Laurens replied with a malicious smirk before dropping down the rope. "A pirate."

And with that, he'd vanished from view, leaving the guards all alone in the room. Some of them went towards the window which did nothing useful while others ran off to warn the king.

When they countered a maid who claimed to not know where Princess Eliza was, everything became crystal clear for them and they realized the trouble they were in.

Princess Eliza had been kidnapped by pirates.


	4. Chapter 4

Resting inside a boat was strangely identical to being rocked to sleep as a baby.

For the early hours of the day, Eliza had remained senseless and wouldn't have noticed where she was if it hadn't been for the abrupt rocking of the ship, leading her to be tossed against the walls and wake up.

She jolted awake, squeaking in surprise before opening her eyes and finding herself in complete darkness. Her head began to ache the moment she awoke, placing a palm on her forehead gently and moaning softly.

Eliza thought it was strange that the maids hadn't gone to her room to open the windows and immediately get her ready for her day, considering that they always came early.

Lowering her hand from her forehead, Eliza felt at her upper arm, noticing that the material she wore was from her robe. She pursed her lips and scrunched up her eyebrows, confused as to why she wore it to bed.

But then she felt nauseous and her head remained spinning as she continued to feel the bed rocking side to side. Finally, curiosity took over her and Eliza shuffled across the bed, standing and moving forward before she felt a yank at her wrist and was thrown back into bed.

"What?" Eliza muttered to herself, lifting her right hand up and grasping whatever held her down. Chains. Her right arm had been chained to the bed.

Of course, it had to be one of Peggy's tricks.

"Margarita!" Eliza shouted across the room, her voice bouncing off the walls. "This is not funny! Unchain me now!"

She waited for a reply, a giggle, a quiet and mischievous nope or anything. The only voice that replied was her echo.

By now, a sickening feeling had overcome Eliza and the heat of the room became much more unavoidable. Sitting back down on her bed, Eliza took in a shaky breath, noticing that something was indeed wrong.

"Hello? Peggy? Mother? Angelica? Papa?" She shouted, her voice straining. "Anyone?"

And then the memories flooded her mind. Her sneaking out of her bedroom after the ball, running into the empty ballroom, finding the vial and suddenly feeling surrounded, pulled, trapped before her world became dark.

She wasn't in her bedroom anymore. This was not the castle and she was no longer on land.

"Anyone?! Help! He—" She screamed in her panic before the door swung open and light flooded the room.

Eliza covered her eyes and winced, slowly lifting her head up and throwing herself back against the headboard when she saw two figures at the door, staring and watching her.

"Princess finally woke up, aye?" One of the figures snickered and crossed their arms. The voice belonged to a man.

She couldn't have answered even if she wanted to, her hands clenching the sheets of the bed for protection as the rest of her remained frozen.

"Let me have a closer look at the pretty thing, huh?" The same man added, making his way towards her before the second figure grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.

"Save it, Lee," The other figure spat. A woman. "Not even a roach can find you pleasing."

Lee looked back at Eliza, his cold eyes staring into her terrified ones before pulling his gaze away.

"I'll leave you two alone. Maybe princess will stop shaking like a leaf if she sees another woman," Lee replied and shoved the woman into the room, slamming the door behind him as he marched off.

Eliza wasn't so sure about that.

The woman scoffed and moved across the room, feeling around the walls before she found curtains and swung them open. She turned to Eliza, earning a fearsome gaze in return and laughed to herself.

"How was your rest, your highness?" The woman asked, pulling her hands to her hips.

Eliza no longer knew if she stayed silent because of fear or stubbornness. Her sisters always joked and said that Eliza would go down stubbornly, her hands crossed before her and her tongue stuck out if she was feeling bold. But now she wondered if it was true.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" The woman added with a laugh, finding herself in silence.

When Eliza remained quiet, the woman turned her body to her and strode towards her. Eliza pushed herself back against the bed and looked to her right, noticing a candle holder on the bedside table before she picked it up and held it over her head.

"S-stay back! Or I will—" Eliza tried to sound intimidating but only heard a wave of laughter in reply.

"Ah, the princess is a fighter!" She exclaimed amusedly and pulled a key out of her pocket. "Any chance that you'll put that down if I get that chain off your wrist?"

Eliza was shocked to find that the woman offered to unchain her and hesitantly placed the candleholder back on the table. She was even more shocked when the woman put the key into the lock, twisted it and set her free.

"I'm a woman of my word!" She declared and shoved the key back into her pocket. "My name is Theodosia. You can call me Theo."

"Thank you kindly. My name is—" Eliza replied but was cut off.

"You don't need to introduce yourself, Princess. Every pirate in this ship knows your name already," Theodosia replied. "Even Old Jimmy and he can't remember a thing these days!"

"I'm sorry," Eliza lifted her free hand and gulped. "Did you say pirate?"

Theodosia blinked twice and stared at Eliza. "Yes? You're in The Bald Eagle's ship. Finest ship in all of the—Wait, Princess! Where are you going?!"

Eliza sped past Theodosia, swung the door open and looked around, finding herself surrounded by filthy pirates who all turned to stare at her as she stared at them.

She shrieked and jerked her body around to return to her room, colliding with a pirate who was much taller and stronger than her before backing away rapidly and screaming as she bumped against another pirate.

"Watch where you're going!" The pirate shouted at her, earning another terrified scream from Eliza as she stumbled and fell on her back.

"Princess!" Theodosia shoved past the curious pirates who now surrounded a petrified Eliza and lifted her by the arm.

"Laurens, would it kill you to be a little kinder?" Theodosia shouted and jabbed a finger at Laurens' chest as Eliza stood behind her.

"Not necessary. I was kind enough to leave you a seat today at breakfast," He replied and turned around to leave.

"The chair was broken!" She shot back angrily.

"Maybe you broke it. You're getting heavy," Laurens replied, jerking his head back to smirk at her.

If Eliza hadn't been distracted by the crowd that stared at her, she would have heard Theodosia's words of comfort. She'd been stared at by over thousands of people before but none of their gazes burned as harshly as the pirates'.

"Let's go, your highness. You've had a stressful day already and you haven't even met the Captain." Theodosia gestured at Eliza to follow her back into her room.

"The captain?" Eliza repeated.

Theodosia nodded and opened the door to her room before closing it. "Captain Hamilton. He's eager to meet you."

Eliza walked back to her bed, sitting down and observing as Theodosia opened the door to a wardrobe and pulled out an ivory gown, struggling to carry it back to Eliza.

"This thing," Theo huffed and let the gown fall into the bed, "Is heavier than you and I. How do you even wear this normally?"

But Eliza continued to stare at the gown, her brows furrowing in thought. "What is the occasion?"

"The captain wishes to dine with you tonight. To welcome you to his ship," Theodosia explained.

She didn't want to dine with that man. The man who'd given the order to bring her here and had separated her from her family. Only God knew how foul that man could be.

"Tell the captain that I don't dine with my kidnappers. He can wear that dress himself if he wants my company," Eliza spat back and crossed her arms, glaring at the gown.

Theodosia's smile fell back into a worried frown as she looked at Eliza and back at the door. Straightening her posture, Theodosia walked towards the door and opened it, giving Eliza one final warning.

"Your highness, the captain won't reply kindly to that. I recommend that you follow his orders and dine with him." Theodosia looked down at the ground and back at Eliza.

"I'll come back before dinner to help you get ready." As she said this, Theodosia left and allowed Eliza to be alone.

"Alright," Eliza muttered to herself with a smile, a plan forming in her head. "I'll go with him."

She knew what she'd do. She'd wear the dress, she'd go to dinner with him, she'd play whatever his game was and she'd be the winner.

Captain Hamilton had no idea that he had a rising flame in his ship.

~~~

Alexander tapped his foot impatiently, checking his pocket watch once again for what seemed like the hundredth time.

Would she even come? Yes, of course, she would. He was sure of that. Still, what if she refused to see him? What would he do then?

"You're going to break the floor with all that tapping, Captain," Hercules snickered, leaning against the walls with a smile.

Lafayette and Laurens both had the same idea as they smacked Hercules in the arm, glaring at him and turning back to Alexander.

"It's been an hour and she's still not here," Alexander grumbled and stood from his chair with such force that it fell back with a thud against the wooden floorboards.

"Where is she?" He added, crossing towards the window and staring out into the night, his thumbs twiddling nervously.

"Women take a lot more time getting dressed than undressed if you see what I'm implying." Hercules raised his brows with a smirk, muttering a sorry as Alexander glared coldly.

Pacing back and forth, Alexander ripped his hat away from his head and slammed it down on the dinner table. "She's not coming. What a surprise."

Laurens rolled his eyes at his whining and looked up at Alexander, his arms crossed as he leaned back against the wall as Hercules did.

"The princess will come, Captain. She's too afraid to refuse," Laurens said.

This made Alexander straighten himself and shake the thoughts from his head away. What was he thinking? Was he really afraid that she wouldn't come? He was the one who gave the rules here and his word was final.

Just as he regained his confidence, a meek knock rang at the door and his breath halted. Inhaling deeply, he called out towards the person outside.

"You may enter."

As he replied back, the door swung open and Theodosia walked in, followed by Eliza who had her hair loosely draped across her shoulders and wore her gown along with a blank expression.

"Welcome, your highness," Alexander bowed his head slightly, expecting her to do the same.

Still, Eliza kept her resigned look and gave no reply, only staring at him. Alexander turned his head to the other pirates and waved them off, leaving him and Eliza alone.

He made his way across the room to her, reaching for her hand and laying his lips upon it before turning his eyes to her. "It's a pleasure to have you here, your highness."

"Am I expected to say the same?" Eliza shot back, yanking her arm away from his hold.

"It would have been wonderful to hear such words from someone like you," he added, trying not to react badly to her blow.

Eliza blinked rapidly, turning her head away from him and moving towards the table. When Alexander tried to pull back her seat, she raised a hand at him and stopped him.

"That is not needed, Captain. I am perfectly capable of pulling out my own chair," she declared and shoved past him, sitting down and placing her hands on her lap.

Alexander scrambled towards his own seat across from her, picking it up quickly and plopping down. Eliza raised a brow at him confusedly before shaking her head and looking down at her lap.

He pulled at the collar of his shirt, feeling his neck tight before looking up at her. "I trust that Theodosia has been helpful to you."

"She has." Eliza nodded, keeping her gaze down. "Perhaps the only one who has been."

"Wonderful," he muttered to himself so that she couldn't hear him.

He glanced at her across the table, clearing his throat and gestured at the food set down on the table. "I can imagine that you are hungry, your highness."

"I'm not hungry, Captain. Thank you," Eliza replied coldly.

"Surely, you must be. I don't believe you've eaten at all today."

"It seems as if I've lost my appetite. Isn't it curious?" Eliza turned her head, her voice riddled with sarcasm and bitterness.

Alexander's blood began to boil at her remark, clutching the arms of his chair in an attempt to calm himself down. "As you wish, princess."

For the following minutes, both stayed completely silent, only the faint whisper of the candles filling the quiet room.

Alexander had decided to serve himself, considering that the nervousness prevented him from shoving a spoonful of anything into his mouth. Eliza maintained herself quiet, staring at Alexander as he ate and glaring harsher in the hopes that he'd notice.

"I hope," Alexander broke the silence, "that you've been comfortable up till now."

"Comfortable?" She said, holding her anger back. "I was woken up by this ship's rocking, found that I was chained to the bed, was looked at inappropriately by one of your crew members and now I dine with my kidnapper."

"Tell me, Captain Hamilton," she stood halfway, leaning across the table. "Would you be comfortable?"

"Your highness has a temper." He tapped his finger against his knee.

"I am simply reacting the way anyone would. Makes me more human than you," Eliza spat, standing completely.

"Ah, and you have a sharp tongue as well. Your highness should be careful with her words lest she finds herself in deep trouble," Alexander said as a warning.

"You speak of deeper trouble than this? I'm sorry, Captain, but I truly could not find myself in trouble worse than—" Eliza snapped yet stopped herself when Alexander slammed his fist against the table, shivering at his gaze.

His fist still shook as he lifted away from the table, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes in an attempt to calm himself.

"Princess Angelica, I advise you to sit down," he mumbled angrily.

Eliza scoffed, keeping herself standing and subconsciously taking a step towards him. "The Captain acts so tough yet he cannot get my name right?"

Alexander was about to respond until her words suddenly turned in his head, twisting his mind in confusion.

No, she must have been playing around with him.

"Very funny, Princess. But I will not repeat—"

"I'm not joking." She pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm not in the mood for joking with you."

Alexander backed away, shaking his head confusedly. "Well then, who are you?"

"I am Princess Elizabeth Schuyler. Who you thought I truly was is my sister."

Silence filled the room, the ground swaying harsher but not because of the waves. Eliza remained with her gaze tight on Alexander, growing tired of his staring.

"Captain?" She asked. "Will you give me no reply?"

At her words, Alexander strode towards her and pushed her down forcefully on her chair before opening the door to the cabin and walking out.

"Wha—" Eliza mumbled as he walked off.

"Stay there, your highness. I must have a word with my men."

With that, he slammed the doors and Eliza could hear him shout his crew members' names furiously. Curiosity was swift to take ahold of her and she quickly stood from her chair, tiptoeing to the door and pressing her ear against it.

"I ask you," she managed to hear Alexander's voice as he spoke to someone outside, "to bring the heir to the throne. I give you a week to find a way into the castle and you can't bring me the correct princess?!"

"Captain," Laurens spoke, "A mistake occurred and—"

"Really? I hadn't noticed!" Alexander spat and paced across the ship.

"It was difficult to know who was who, Captain! They were all wearing masks!" Lafayette defended as well.

"That's not all but you gave the poison to the wrong person! The queen!"

"It was not planned. I was going to hand it to the princess but the queen took it herself," Lafayette explained.

Taking in a deep breath, Alexander rubbed his temples slowly as he closed his eyes.

"So? How did you manage to sneak the princess out?" Alexander interrogated.

Laurens and Lafayette looked at Hercules and gestured at him to answer.

"Well, I—" Hercules began.

"He knocked her out. Slammed his fists against her head and..." Lafayette said, making a falling movement.

"You did what?!" Alexander barked. "And for how long did she put up a fight?"

The three pirates remained silent, each looking at the other in embarrassment. "A minute...at least."

At their reply, Alexander slowly raised his eyes and stared down at them, holding back his fury.

"A minute? There are so many things I can do in less than a minute. I can make you walk the plank, shoot you and slice your heads off in less than a minute and you couldn't quiet a screaming girl in that time?"

"Why does it matter who she is? Both are princesses." Laurens asked, earning a nod from Lafayette and Hercules.

"Let me make this easy for you," Alexander breathed in. "One is the heir to the throne, the other one is a spare."

Lafayette nodded and crossed his arms. "Sure, sure. But wouldn't Princess Elizabeth take the throne if anything happened to Angelica?"

Alexander was about to reply but stopped, finding sense in Lafayette's words and turning white.

"Ha!" Laurens pointed a finger at Alexander. "Didn't think about that, Captain?"

Grumbling, Alexander shoved Laurens' arm down and glared at him coldly. "Alright. So the princess is worth the same as her sister."

"Meaning that we cannot get rid of her. Not until we get the king's money in return for her." Laurens crossed his arms.

Hearing all this, Eliza made a realization. The captain couldn't lay a hand on her. He couldn't hurt her or kill her. Nor could any of his crew members.

The tapping of Alexander's boots warned Eliza to return to her seat as they became louder and closer. She scrambled to her seat and straightened her dress, hearing the knob turn and feeling the cold night air slip in before the door was closed.

"I'm sorry for making you wait, your highness." Alexander sat back down, wiping the sweat from his face.

As he sat, Eliza stood up and maintained her posture, staring down at him blankly. Alexander looked up at her, irritated, and gestured to her seat.

"Sit down, Princess Eliza."

"I don't wish to sit down, Captain Hamilton," Eliza huffed.

He looked up at her and glared, his gaze tight on her. "I'm not asking."

"Nor am I." Eliza made his way towards him and halted once she was close enough. "I wish to be returned to my home."

"Not possible, Schuyler." He shook his head and reached for his goblet. "For the last time, I demand you sit down."

"And for the last time, I demand that you return me to my home. Well, unless you want this the hard way..." Eliza leaned herself against the table, supporting herself and smirking.

"The hard way?" He repeated, amused.

Eliza nodded and hummed. "My family will be looking for me. It has been less than a day since I've been gone. If they started searching now, they'd find us in less than a week."

"And then?" Alexander quirked a brow and leaned against his chair with a sneer.

"Oh! Well, then it's..." Eliza piped and dragged a finger across her neck. "Off with your heads!"

Alexander turned white and silent, his mouth slightly open before hiding it and standing. He made his way forward to her, placing his arms on both sides of the table so that she was cornered and leaned forward with a smirk.

"Princess, it's gonna take a lot to hunt me down. For years, no one I've ever stolen from has found me. How can you be certain that they'll find you?" Alexander tempted, his face inches away from hers.

"Captain," Eliza replied, jabbing a finger at his chest. "I am certain that you've never stolen anything from my family before. But there has not been one man who stole from us and got away with it."

"So," she clutched his shirt and yanked him forward, smirking softly. "Captain. I advise you to consider returning me before they do."

For once in his life, Alexander was speechless. He tried to speak but his words ran dry and he couldn't even utter a sentence. Finding herself winner, Eliza let go of his shirt and shoved him away.

"Well, I'll be returning to my cabin," Eliza smiled and turned on her heels, marching towards the door. As she had her hand on the knob, she turned her gaze to him and spoke to him in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Rest well, Captain."

Slamming the door, Eliza left the room with a satisfied smile.

This captain had taken the wrong princess.


	5. Chapter 5

Rude awakenings weren't common for Eliza. She'd only ever been woken up roughly when she was late for a lesson or she'd spent too much time asleep. Nevertheless, she'd always start her day off right.

But being in a pirate ship with people she didn't know, people she didn't trust meant that she couldn't expect things to stay the same.

Eliza knew that when she went to sleep on her first night in the ship and remembered that she couldn't kiss her sisters and parents before bed and could only sit alone in her bed, staring at the ceiling before sleep took ahold of her.

Eliza awoke to a door slamming against the walls of her room, immediately jolting awake and reaching for the covers for safety. When her eyes fixed upon the figure, she noticed that it was still dark outside, the sun barely shining.

Upon further inspection, Eliza also noticed that the figure before her wasn't one she already knew like Theodosia or the captain but simply another member of the crew.

And frankly, she wasn't looking forward to interacting with any other pirates on her time here which she hoped would be brief.

"Good morni—" Eliza began, trying to be polite despite her discomfort.

Without another word, the man walked towards her, arms filled with various cleaning items before releasing them all in her lap.

"Hey!" Eliza cried out, lifting her legs closer to her chest and wrapping her arms around them, pressing her back further against the bed.

"Clean the ship," he said blankly, almost turning to leave before Eliza called for him.

"Excuse me?" She shot back, crossing her arms and glaring coldly at him.

"You heard me. If you have a complaint, I advise you to address it with the captain," The man sneered at her.

"Ah," she nodded, finally understanding. "So this was an order from the captain? How thoughtful."

The man spoke nothing more and groaned, moving towards the door without bothering to reply and rather slamming the door closed once again.

Eliza stared at the spot where the man stood and back at the cleaning items that rested on the bed with bewilderment which soon shifted into annoyance.

Huffing, Eliza pulled the covers off herself harshly, resulting in the items to fall to the ground with a thud. She stepped off the bed, mumbling furiously to herself.

"He wants me to clean the ship?" She muttered before opening the wardrobe and pulling out the first dress she saw. "Fine. I'll clean his ship and show him."

Eliza changed into the dress, not bothering to ask Theodosia for help from her annoyance at the captain's orders and the way the pirate had spoken to her. The dress was navy blue and comfortable for Eliza, not something she was used to wearing but good enough for cleaning.

"I'll prove that I can handle—Agh!" Eliza began to move out of the room, forgetting the cleaning items that still laid in the ground and slipped, landing on her back harshly.

"Hey, I just wanted to check how you were doing and—Oh." Theodosia opened the door wide, finding Eliza lying on the ground groaning in pain.

"Are you alri—"

"I'm doing fine!" Eliza responded, standing up swiftly before tripping on her skirt and falling face-first on the ground.

"Do you need—" Theodosia asked hesitantly.

"Help?"

"Yes."

"Indeed."

~~~

The hot afternoon sun soon took a toll on Eliza's energy, making her barely capable of mopping the deck without nearly falling over the side of the ship and into the cold blue ocean. At that point, the sea beneath her seemed tempting to fall into.

Eliza worked hard, harder than she ever had in the hope that she could show the captain that he was not yet getting on her nerves and that it would take more to see her snap. She simply hoped she could hold back her anger for a bit longer.

Sinking the mop into the bucket once again, Eliza moved across the ship slowly, trying to keep her eyes focused despite the rays of sunshine glaring at her from every direction.

Her dress was already soaked in her own sweat and she tried not to cringe and show her discomfort, quickly wiping away beads of sweat trickling down her cheeks.

She continued to move while dragging the mop across the ship until she could see the floorboards gleaming in the sunlight. Yet every time she was nearly done, another crew member walked over the floor and got everything dirty.

It took her some precious time before she managed to keep the deck clean, giving a contented sigh and leaning against a wall to catch her breath.

She raised her fingers to the white bow on her head, tightening it and pushing back the hairs that fell upon her face. Lifting her head up to the sky, Eliza gazed at the birds that soared by and circled the ship.

They were free, unlike her. They could return to their homes and their families whenever they pleased.

Eliza looked down, blinking back tears and closing her eyes before anyone could see her. Her days on this ship were few but they seemed endless and like a living nightmare.

Her family would be looking for her, she was sure of that. Eliza knew that she would soon run into her family's arms, whether it would be by paying the ransom or finding her out on the sea.

A voice in her head even wished it would be the latter, feeling hatred for most of the pirates and hoping that they paid for their crimes.

But how long? A few days? A week? Perhaps a month of waiting for them to save her?

What if they never found her? What if she was damned to a life surrounded by those hateful pirates and their malicious tendencies? What if the captain got sick of waiting and decided to get rid of her?

A tap on her shoulder was the only thing that kept Eliza from going farther on into her thoughts which consumed her endlessly.

"Excuse me, your highness?" The same person spoke, his voice oddly familiar.

Eliza kept her eyes closed for a second, wiping away the tears that mixed with sweat before raising her head and opening her eyes.

"Yes?" Eliza responded, her pulse quickening and face turning white when she recognized the man as the one who accompanied Theodosia when she woke up on the ship.

"Were the crew's quarters properly cleaned?" Lee asked, shoving his fists against his sides.

Eliza nodded, grabbing her mop again and pretending to clean. "I made sure they were, sir. Why?"

Lee walked forward, his body leaning closer than Eliza would have permitted. "Well, I don't believe they were. They still seem to be littered with dust."

"Oh..." Eliza said quietly, stopping her mopping. Before she could say another word, Lee grasped her wrist strongly and began to pull her along with him.

"Here. I'll show you," he added, turning away before Eliza could see him sneer.

"No, it's alright, sir. I can check it by myself." Eliza tried to yank herself away from him, nearly falling over as he pulled her once again.

"Lee, leave her alone." Another voice spoke from behind them.

When Lee turned to look at the man, Eliza took it as her chance to escape his grasp and move as far as she could without him noticing.

The man stepped towards Lee, looking down at him and keeping his gaze cold and arms crossed.

"I was simply asking the princess to check something down at our quarters," Lee spat, glaring back at the man.

"And she couldn't do it alone? She needed your company?" The man shot back.

"I was going to show her what she did wrong. Princesses like these need to be taught or they'll never learn," Lee explained, shooting Eliza a look before she backed away.

The man took notice of her worried movements and stepped in to cover her from Lee.

"Well, I'll come down with both of you to see if there really is such thing."

At the man's words, Eliza let out a breath in relief before Lee lunged for her hand and pulled her back.

"No need, Burr. It's just the princess who I need to come with—" Lee assured him.

"You go down with me or you don't go down at all. What's it gonna be?" Burr stepped forward, placing a steady hand on Eliza's shoulder.

Eyes darting between Eliza and Burr, Lee groaned annoyedly and let go of her hand, whirling around and walking away from them.

Eliza immediately shook Burr's hand off her shoulder, trotting rapidly towards her mop and bucket and picking them up.

"Thank you, sir, but I really do have to conti—" Eliza rambled, keeping her gaze on the ground in hopes of avoiding his.

"Wait, your highness," Burr spoke, making her turn to look at him, holding the handle of her bucket tighter.

"What is it?" She asked, tapping her foot nervously.

"Next time Lee asks anything from you, don't go alone. We both know he didn't have good intentions," he said, maintaining his serious gaze.

She nodded, giving him a small smile. "Thank you, mister..."

"Aaron Burr, your highness." Burr extended his hand for her to shake. Eliza hesitated for a second, nearly pulling her hand back before shaking his.

"Well," Eliza yanked her hand away from his, "Thank you for everything but I really do have to finish cleaning."

Burr nodded, a slight smile appearing. "Understandable. Have a good day, your highness."

With a nod in return, Eliza moved towards the other rooms inside the ship, hoping to be done as soon as she could. She had already cleaned most of the rooms by mopping and dusting but still had many left.

~~~

The day was nearly reaching its end and Eliza was already hungry and aching to catch some rest after a long day of hard work. After her encounter with Lee, she still managed to get a lot of work done, avoiding one specific room for the end of the day.

Most of the pirates didn't bother her, pretending that she wasn't even there and kept their daily routine. Others took the time to dirty the areas that she had already finished, resulting in her cleaning them once again and even placing the stick of her mop near their feet to make them trip.

Overall, she was sure that the captain would have no complaints on how she'd maintained his ship that day.

Thinking of the captain, Eliza moaned angrily and remembered that she still needed to clean his cabin. The one room she'd avoided going near all day.

"Alright," Eliza whispered to herself while opening the cabin's doors. "Let's get this over with."

Upon entering the cabin, Eliza noticed that she was all alone inside the room and sighed in relief, glad to be able to clean without his presence lingering.

Eliza placed down her bucket, water splashing on the wooden floorboards before she began to mop the floor as quickly as she could so she could end the day.

Looking around the room, Eliza took notice that everything was in place, organized, and put together. His bed was made, the table was clean except for a bowl of fruit that decorated it and everything seemed tidy enough for her to last only a few minutes cleaning.

The one thing that wasn't organized was his desk which was scattered with maps, papers, and other objects that made Eliza cringe at the mess.

Finishing up with the mop, Eliza strode towards his desk and reached for the papers and objects, attempting to clean it all without making a bigger mess.

She placed the papers on his chair and was about to organize the rest of his desk before something caught her eye.

Beneath all his papers remained a leather journal, tied shut with a single red string and the symbol of a rose etched on the front.

Her eyes remained on the journal, her thoughts racing inside of her head and an idea forming.

Perhaps that journal held something helpful for Eliza. Something that could quiet her worries and help her escape that floating prison. Or maybe even held details on what his plan was.

But it could bring her trouble. She knew that the captain couldn't kill her, at least not until he got his money, but that didn't mean he would let her get away with this.

"Just one peek. One quick peek," she mumbled to herself before reaching for the journal, untying it as fast as she could and cracking it open.

Eliza scanned over his words, flipping the pages until she could find something on herself.

When she couldn't find anything regarding herself, Eliza bit the inside of her cheek and fixed her eyes on the pages, flipping them once again.

Most of his notes were nearly indecipherable as if he had written them in a rush and hadn't bothered to check what he was scribbling in those very pages.

Nearly giving up, Eliza slammed the journal on his desk and groaned, about to close the journal before she noticed an image that caught her breath.

On the last page was the sketch of a woman, pencil lines smudging the sides of her face. Eliza stopped briefly and gazed at the drawing, subconsciously sitting down on the captain's chair.

The woman's eyes were large and round, long lashes framing them and making them appear even more mesmerizing. She had a small nose, a bit crinkled from the grin she bore on her lips, warm, gentle, and welcoming.

Her cheeks were shaded slightly, giving Eliza the idea that they were bright and pink in person and her hair was tied in a ponytail that dropped by her shoulder, strands of hair falling over her forehead.

For a moment, Eliza forgot all about finding out more of what the captain planned and studied the woman, wondering who she was and why was her portrait drawn into his journal.

Eliza didn't have much time to think as the hand that rested over the page was yanked forward and her whole body was pulled up from the chair, colliding harshly against the captain.

"What are you doing here?!" Alexander barked, glaring down at Eliza.

"Nothing! I was cleani—"

Alexander's eyes darted towards the open page, letting go of her hand before lunging towards the journal and shutting it close. Eliza stood still as he opened his desk drawers and put the journal inside, locking it closed.

"I'm sorry, I simply saw it there and I—" Eliza tried to explain, fear bubbling on her stomach.

"Save it." Alexander grimaced and took her hand once again, dragging her out the room forcefully.

Eliza tried to pull his hand off of hers, even digging her nails into the skin of his palm in hope that he'd let go of her. Everyone on the ship stopped what they were doing and began to stare at them, having already heard Alexander's outburst.

"Alright," Eliza began and tried to sound like she wasn't completely terrified, "Where are you taking me?"

Alexander still looked forward, not glancing behind before responding coldly to her. "What? Do you think you can get away with lurking around without punishment?"

Her eyes darted open, shoving Alexander away with her free hand and staring up at him defiantly.

"You know you can't hurt me, Captain." Eliza stepped towards him, craning her neck up to stare at him.

"You know what, Princess? You pretend that you have any power over me here but fail to realize that you are not in your castle but my ship," Alexander sneered and pointed at himself.

"When my family comes for me, you'll find who has power here and who is living in a fantasy! In the end, you'll find that you have no control over me!"

Alexander took in a deep breath, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Listen, Princess."

"Quit calling me princess," Eliza muttered angrily. "Call me by name."

"Oh," Alexander tapped his chin, a smile forming. "Could you repeat it for me? It's so forgettable."

Blood boiling in annoyance, Eliza jabbed a finger at his chest, hollering her reply. "It's Eliza! Does it kill you to remember my name?!"

"Well—" Alexander began.

"Captain!" Hercules called.

"Hold on a second, Mulligan. I have to deal with Eliza here and—"

"You're dealing with me?! You think I'm not completely annoyed by you as well?!" Eliza snapped.

"Captain..." Hercules spoke again, nervous.

"Goddamn it!" Alexander turned to Hercules, annoyed. "What?!"

"Another ship is approaching us." Hercules pointed out into the ocean where a single spot laid on the horizon, sailing closer them.

Eliza's eyes brightened and she couldn't hold back a triumphant smile as the ship came closer, sure that it was a ship sent by her family to retrieve her.

"Well, I guess everyone gets what they deserve in the end, don't you agree?" She smirked, crossing her arms and tapping her nails against her own skin. 

Alexander stayed silent and walked past Eliza, eyes focused on the approaching ship. Eliza furrowed her brows in confusion, making her way behind him.

"What is it?" Eliza asked, looking at the ship as well.

Alexander's eyes widened and he whirled around, speaking loudly for all to hear. "Prepare to attack."

Heart stopping at the thought that perhaps someone from her family was in that ship, Eliza faced him and glared harshly at him.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Eliza huffed and waited for an explanation.

"Princess—" He began.

"Eliza," she reminded.

"Well, Eliza, unless you're willing to step into another pirate ship, I advise that you don't try to stop us from what we're about to do."

She backed away, still confused and worried. "Pirate ship? That's not a pirate ship, that's my family!"

Rolling his eyes, Alexander walked closer to her and lifted her chin to look up at the ship. "Does your family's ship have a white skull and crossbones?"

"Wha—" Eliza focused on the ship, breath catching in her throat when she noticed the symbol on the flag.

Eliza knew that she wouldn't return to her family that day.


	6. Chapter 6

Almost as soon as Alexander spoke his orders, the crew had gone into a frenzy, all turning away from the argument between Alex and Eliza and towards the task at hand. They all ran and dashed across the ship, resembling wild animals in Eliza's eyes.

It took her a minute to realize what was occurring before her and the danger that followed if those pirates managed to reach the ship. What she for a moment thought could be her way back to her family was only lengthening her time until her return.

Clutching her skirt tighter, Eliza began to follow Alexander as he trotted swiftly across the ship, trying to spare a word with him that might have eased her worries.

"Has the ship been identified, Lafayette?" Alexander asked the man beside him, maintaining his walking speed that nearly left Eliza breathless.

"Oui, Captain. We suspect that it's Captain Tarleton," Lafayette replied, handing a spyglass over to Alexander who observed the ship closely through it.

Eliza raised a brow, the captain's name sounding strangely familiar yet peculiar to her. "Captain who?"

Alexander finally took notice of her, whirling around and placing the spyglass back in Lafayette's hands before stepping forward slightly.

"Captain Tarleton," he spoke, placing his hands behind his back. "Though you may have heard of him by the name of Bloody Ban Tarleton."

"I have." Eliza nodded, a chill running down her spine and causing her to shiver. If the tales her maids often told her about the pirate were true, she and the crew were indeed in trouble.

"Then I can clear your suspicions and confirm that Captain Tarleton doesn't take prisoners. And I can assure you that your fate would be even worse," Alexander spoke, finally turning to Lafayette and beginning to move past her.

As he started to walk away, worry filled Eliza to the brim and she looked cautiously at her surroundings. Everyone was occupied with trying to protect the ship against the enemy pirate, bustling across and pushing past each other to grab their swords and pistols while the others pulled at ropes harshly.

They were all ready to lay their life on the line just to keep their ship and hopefully their lives as well. Eliza despised and wished the worst for nearly everyone in that ship but she couldn't stand around helplessly and pray that they'd be victorious.

"Wait! Captain!" Eliza turned and sped towards the captain, nearly tripping on her skirt. Both Alexander and Lafayette looked at her weirdly, equally confused by her.

"What can I do to help?" She asked, chest rising and falling from her heavy breathing.

"You?" Alexander quirked a brow, staring her up and down. "What can you do?"

Eliza scowled, crossing her arms before her. "I'll have you know that I'm not as meek as one may think, captain."

"No, I have no doubt of that." Alexander maintained his expression blank, visibly growing more tired. "But I will not allow you to do anything."

Eliza was taken aback, taking his words as an insult and moving forward until he was mere inches apart. "I'm sorry? And could I know why?"

"We're not taking any risks. Allowing you to do anything puts you in danger and we all know that can't happen," he responded.

Under different circumstances, Eliza would have been surprised by his reply yet she knew that her worth to him relied on the royal blood that flowed through her veins.

"Captain!" Theodosia shouted from the other side of the ship. "He's gaining on us!"

Alexander nodded in reply, turning to Eliza and grabbing her wrist, beginning to move swiftly across the deck.

"What are you doing?" Eliza asked, staring up at him.

"The fight will be over quickly but we can't risk getting you caught in the battle." He opened the door to her room and pulled her into the center, walking past her and out the door.

Eliza pursed her lips together, nose scrunching up in confusion before hearing the door behind her close shut. Turning around, she placed her hands on the door handle and tried to turn it before finding that it had been locked.

"Hey!" Eliza called out angrily, banging her fists against the wooden door harshly to the point that it hurt her. "Unlock this door right now, you rotten, loathsome pira—"

Her shouting was cut off when the ship shook wildly, the crashing of wood against wood ringing throughout the whole room and causing Eliza to wobble and fall to the ground.

She grunted at the impact, placing both hands on the ground and pushing herself up before hearing the shouting outside.

They were here.

Yanking the curtains of the window that faced the outside of the ship open, Eliza observed as the enemy pirates began to invade the ship faster than lightning, her heart stopping for a second. Most of them hurried into the ship by using a wooden plank as a bridge, only a few swinging in with the ropes from their ship.

It reminded Eliza of a tale her father once told her, one that was luckily just fictional and untrue. Pirates swinging in like savage monkeys, nearly surrounding the heroes while their swords glimmered and glared under the sunlight.

But this was not fiction, less a tale and if it was a tale, Eliza had been cursed to be trapped in the middle of it all.

Alexander's crew stood defensively, most of them having already whipped out their swords or at least had their hands curled around the sword's grip while it still rested in its sheath.

In the middle of it all stood Alexander, body upright while his hand gripped the handle of his sword, chest puffed out and eyes focused on the man who slowly strode towards him.

Just upon seeing him, Eliza was sure that the man was Captain Tarleton, considering that he was dressed cleaner than any of his pirates and the hat atop his head was enough to symbolize his position over everyone else.

Tarleton was nearly Alexander's height, perhaps a few inches taller but that didn't seem to intimidate Alex. He wore a long emerald green coat that seemed nearly too elegant to be worn by a pirate and a black sash around his torso.

Eliza couldn't tell what Alexander and Tarleton spoke about, barely reading their expressions before she came to the conclusion that Tarleton began to taunt him and Alex was trying his best to keep his anger in check.

Everything seemed civil until one of Tarleton's pirates jumped forward, raising his sword against one of Alexander's men and receiving a bullet in the chest from the man he nearly killed.

All hell broke loose at that moment and Eliza could only stand and look out her window, nearly petrified. Both Alexander's and Tarleton's crew raised their swords and pistols against each other, none of them willing to surrender.

The clashing of steel against steel, the rumbling of cannons, the bullets flying past the deck, and the screaming of the pirates before their demise was nearly enough to make Eliza go mad.

She couldn't stay here anymore. She had to do something. She needed to get out of that room.

Once again, she tried twisting the doorknob open, not surprised when it didn't do anything. She needed something to pick the lock.

With that thought, Eliza ran to the bedside table and opened the drawers, breathing out in relief when she saw the numerous hairpins scattered across the inside.

If her mother found out that Eliza had knowledge of how to pick a lock, she would have lost her head and most likely her voice from scolding her. Her father, who was also the person who taught her how to pick a lock after much begging from Eliza, would have laughed at his wife's temper.

Her thoughts nearly slipped back to her family before another cannon thundered harshly, making Eliza's knees wobble again and her hands to shake.

She steadied herself on the table, walking towards the door and trying to keep her balance. Slipping the hairpin into the lock, Eliza turned it and tried to unlock the door while looking out the window.

Eliza stared at the violent display before her where one of Tarleton's men held a member of Alexander's crew with their arms pressed against their back while another man shot him in the head.

Her fear nearly made her faint when one of the men snapped his head at Eliza's direction, causing her to look away from the window and return her attention to the lock, her fingers trembling from her nervousness.

"Hurry up, Eliza," she whispered to herself shakily, turning and twisting the pin inside the lock.

As soon as she felt the hairpin unlock the door, Eliza sighed happily and moved to twist the knob. Before she could do so, the door was hurled open violently and Eliza jumped back in surprise, a terrified shriek escaping her lips before falling to the ground.

Before her stood one of the enemy pirates, holding his sword tight in his hand and sneering maliciously when he noticed her lying on the ground. As he began to inch closer, Eliza shuffled back, looking around the room for something that she could defend herself with.

Back pressed against the bedside table, Eliza lunged for the candleholder and threw it at the man with all her strength. The man dodged the object, laughing at her failed attempt to fend him off and began to raise his sword.

She raised her hands up to the level of her eyes fearfully, awaiting the painful impact from his blade but heard nothing more than a grunt and a heavy thud.

Lowering her hands, the first thing she saw was the pirate lying on the ground, blood seeping through his white shirt and a bullet lodged in his back.

Eliza looked forward, her eyes scanning the mess outside for whoever had saved her but found no one.

When her sight fell upon the sword that the dead man still held, Eliza reached out for it and tried not to vomit as she removed his still warm fingers from the handle.

Standing up, Eliza raised the sword up high, her worried expression reflecting in the steel blade. She barely knew how to handle a sword, only ever using it when playing with Peggy.

Her father had once taught her the basics of fencing although Catherine's protests kept him from teaching Eliza ever again.

She just hoped it was enough.

Taking in a deep breath, Eliza tightened her grip on the sword and ran out of the room and into the deck where everyone fought and defended the ship.

She didn't have to wait long before an enemy pirate lunged towards her, his sword raised against her before her instincts brought her to block the blade. Raising her leg, she kicked at the man's stomach, causing him to hunch over in pain.

Eliza congratulated herself internally for a second before the man stood up once again and swung his sword at her. She blocked it again before he continued to fight, this time moving his blade faster and stronger.

Both of them continued to block and swing at each other, Eliza slowly falling into a rhythm and finding it easier to defend herself. When Eliza pushed harsh enough against his sword, the pirate lost his rhythm and she quickly slashed her blade against his leg to injure him.

The pirate fell to the ground, crying out in pain and giving Eliza the chance to move past him and leave him there. Not only a few seconds passed before another pirate lunged his sword at her, barely missing her stomach before she jumped back.

Eliza and the pirate swung their swords against each other, their blades ringing out with every clash before she kicked at the pirate's stomach, causing him to stumble against the side of the ship and fall into the cold ocean.

Handling the sword turned easier for Eliza although she still didn't understand the basics and simply fought to keep her life. She tried not to kill any of the pirates, simply injuring them and leaving them alone and defeated.

Her confidence slowly rose with every enemy pirate that she left defeated, adrenaline rushing through her veins until she felt no fear.

Once she'd defeated another pirate and turned to face the next one, panic overtook her once again and her face paled when she locked eyes with Captain Tarleton who smirked at her evilly.

"You've held yourself up quite good for a woman," Tarleton taunted, clashing his sword against hers. "Let's see you now."

Without warning, he collided his sword against Eliza's, raising it once again and barely giving her time to block. His movements were more rapid and firm, leaving her little to no time to react to them and with barely any strength to defend herself.

He lunged forward with every clash, leading her to jump back with any movement he made. Tarleton seemed to barely care that she was a woman, only seeming to have the goal of leaving her dead.

Before Eliza knew it, Tarleton had pushed against her sword with such force that she slipped, her back crashing against the wooden stairs behind her.

"Agh!" Eliza cried at the impact, her pained shout being cut off short as Tarleton placed the tip of his blade against the side of her neck. She gulped, raising her head to look at him.

"You haven't had much practice, have you?" He chuckled darkly, pressing the blade closer against her skin.

He removed the sword from her neck and raised it up high, ready to strike. She closed her eyes and awaited the impact before she sensed someone jump in front of her and block Tarleton's attack.

"And I thought I'd handled enough of you today," Alexander scoffed irritatingly at Tarleton, pushing his sword back.

Eliza opened her eyes when she recognized Alexander's voice, surprised to see him coming to her defense.

"It's going to take more than one graze to the shoulder to get rid of me, Hamilton." Tarleton frowned, clashing his sword against his as harshly as he could.

Alexander continued to block and fight against Tarleton's attacks, nearly leaving the latter tired before shooting a look at Eliza mid-battle.

"I thought I told you to stay in the room!" He shouted, swinging his blade at Tarleton and pushing him back.

"You're fighting someone with a sword right now and you're taking the time to ask me this?!" Eliza shouted in return, slightly baffled by his ability to still argue with her while fighting Tarleton.

"It doesn't matter! Get out of there!" Alex kicked at Tarleton's gut, giving Eliza the chance to get up and run past him.

Tarleton quickly recovered from the impact, his sword grazing Alexander's shoulder and tearing through his white shirt.

Before he could attack Alexander once again, Eliza rushed behind Tarleton, smashing a bottle of his rum over his head and knocking him out successfully.

"That was," Eliza looked down at the broken bottle in her hand with a proud smile and a laugh, "Surprisingly easy."

Looking up, she noticed Alexander staring at her with an expression that she couldn't quite read easily although he seemed slightly surprised.

Without sparing another word, he placed his sword back in its sheath and walked past her, observing that nearly every enemy pirate had been either knocked out, surrounded, or killed.

"Captain," A pirate walked forward to Alexander, holding his blade against his side in the case that one of the enemy pirates decided to attack. "Captain Tarleton's men have been outnumbered. What do we do with them?"

"Put the remaining men in the brig, they'll start work early tomorrow and throw the dead men overboard."

"And Tarleton?" The pirate pointed at the captain's unconscious body.

Alexander gave a pleasured smile but kept it well hidden. "Put him back aboard his ship. It's such a shame I won't see the captain's reaction to this."

The pirate nodded, calling out towards the crew before returning and aiding them on locking up the enemy pirates.

Eliza took in a deep breath, biting back her pride for what she knew she had to do after he'd saved her life. Sadly, she had to thank the captain.

"Captain," she began and made her way towards him. "I just wanted to tha—"

"What were you thinking?" Alexander cut her off, looking down at her like she was mad to have tried to fight the enemy pirates.

"Sorry?" Eliza shot back.

"Fighting the pirates like that! You could have gotten killed!"

"But I didn't, Captain." Eliza crossed her arms furiously. "I told you that I'm not meek and I could have protected myself just fine without you."

"Sure!" Alexander slapped his hands together, sarcasm dripping off his tongue. "I'm sure that if I hadn't stepped in before Tarleton sliced your throat open, you would have protected yourself just fine!"

Eliza kept quiet, knowing that he was at least right on that one.

"How did you even get out of your room?" He asked, slapping his hands down against the border of the ship.

"An enemy pirate opened it but before he could hurt me, he was shot and killed," Eliza explained, walking closer.

"And you have Laurens to thank for that." Alexander pointed at Laurens with his thumb, the latter already staring at the pair.

"And I'm sure the enemy pirate kicked the door open?" Alexander asked again.

She nodded, remembering how he'd been able to twist the knob open after she'd picked the lock.

"And yet, the door shows no sign of being kicked and Laurens never saw him kick it open." He pulled out a hairpin from his pockets, holding it up for her to see. "And how come this was found against the lock?"

Eyes widening, Eliza hopped and reached for the hairpin in his fingers before he raised it higher above her head.

"Fine! I picked the lock!" Eliza admitted, spitting out her words defeatedly. Alexander only smirked and shoved the pin back in his pockets.

"Thank you for your honesty, your highness. And all this could have been avoided—"

"If I stayed still? No, I'm sure that would have been perfect for you!" Eliza argued.

Alexander looked like he wanted to keep arguing but didn't have the energy to do so, instead turning around and returning to his cabin.

"Have a good evening," Alexander called, closing the door to his cabin.

"I hope you don't," she murmured to herself, whirling around and making her way to her room before feeling someone's eyes on her. Snapping her head to the side, Eliza noticed Laurens still staring at her from where he was, his gaze blank.

Eliza ignored it, shaking her head before closing the door to her room and falling on her bed, groaning loudly against the pillow in irritation.

"Pirates," she groaned.

~~~

Eliza's room seemed to be a sanctuary for Phillip after a day of bad news. Bad news concerning Eliza's location, who she was with, and what they had to do to get her back. The news that would continue to reach his ears left him weak.

His daughter was taken by pirates. The sentence was too painful to hear, piercing his chest like a thousand needles. His Eliza.

He would happily tell Eliza tales of pirates and heroes as a child where the heroes would always win and live happily ever after. Part of him wanted to believe that fairytales were true.

Walking towards her vanity, Phillip sat down on the small velvet stool and looked around at his surroundings. This place was dead without Eliza. It wasn't the same if he couldn't see her smile every day. If he couldn't hear her laugh.

His fingers caressed the surface of the vanity, landing on a small music box made of glass before taking it into his hands, twisting the golden key gently and placing it back down on the vanity.

The rich melody filled his ears, a bittersweet feeling growing on his chest. That music box had been a gift to her on her birthday, mere weeks before Angelica's celebration ball and her kidnapping.

If only he'd cherished that day more. If only he hadn't spent the day locked in his study, talking with some irrelevant duke.

He opened the drawers to her vanity slowly, pulling out a sketch Eliza had made in her free time. A simple sketch of a butterfly standing over a flower. So simple but it was Eliza's.

The door to her room had been left open and soon enough, he heard a quiet knock on it and turned to look at the person who stood beside it.

"André, forgive me. I did not see you there," Phillip tried to sound polite, coming off as blank and emotionless.

"No, I'm sorry to interrupt you," André spoke, looking around the room. "I simply came here to ask if you were willing to accept my offer."

"André, I must thank you but it's alright. I don't want to trouble you and your family with this." Phillip laid the music box down again. "It's not your place."

André nodded. "Still, sir, I would like to help. I'll send my ships to find Elizabeth as well as travel to find her myself."

Phillip knew he did this to win his favor. To get Eliza's hand in marriage if she returned. He knew that André, while full of good intentions, also wanted his daughter.

But to get her back, he would have done all that cowardly men call mad and more.

"André... I accept your offer," he replied, receiving a nod from André who then left the room.

For his daughter, anything.

~~~

Boots creaked against the wooden floorboards of the ship, maintaining a slow walking pace so that no one would wake up and see him. The moonlight barely shone that night and the only source of light was the candle he held in between his hands.

He dragged the sword along with him, his limbs aching from the fighting and yearning for rest. But not before he completed this. Then he could rest until morning came.

His hands curled around the princess's doorknob, pulling it down before stepping into the room and not bothering to close the door behind him.

Eliza slept in her bed, nearly covered to her nose with the blankets and breathing softly.

Lifting the sword, he dropped it at Eliza's feet, immediately awakening her with a scream.

"Who is it?! What's wrong? What—" Eliza rambled in her panic before staring forward, eyes furrowing confusedly when she looked at the figure.

"Laurens?" Eliza said, hoping that she'd gotten his name right. Laurens lifted the candle closer to his face and gestured at the sword on her feet with his eyes.

"What's this for?" Eliza took the sword, slipping it out of its sheath to examine it.

"Be awake before sunrise and bring that sword to the deck," he explained, turning to leave before she spoke up.

"I don't understand."

"Do you want to be able to protect yourself or do you want to always be a breath away from getting killed?" He spoke.

"I," she hesitated, "I want to protect myself."

Laurens nodded and began to walk off again. "In that case, we'll see you before sunrise."

"What—" Her voice was cut off by Laurens slamming the door and her eyes fell upon the weapon on her hands, his words drumming against her brain.

She was too confused to sleep now. She needed answers.

But she'd have to wait before sunrise.


	7. Chapter 7

Just as Laurens had told her to do, Eliza prepared to leave the safety of her room just before she could see the sun peeking through the dark horizon. For the rest of the night, Eliza didn't sleep a wink and rather spent the silent hours lost in thought and imagining every possible route that the encounter could take.

She acknowledged that the logical and safest thing to do was to not risk it and stay in her room until sunrise or until she was called for whatever the day would bring. He was a pirate after all and her trust in pirates was certainly lacking. However, curiosity drove her to make the choice of meeting him just before sunrise despite her drumming thoughts.

Hours passed and Eliza gave up on sleep, knowing that it was useless as the sun would already be up in a few hours. She slipped out of the bed, steadying herself on the posts and slid her feet into her slippers. Looking down at the foot of her bed, she remembered how she'd never pushed the sword away and had spent most of the night staring at it blankly.

She reached for the sword, her fingers curling around the handle and pulling out the blade from its sheath. The sword was held up high and Eliza examined its detail.

It wasn't like the swords the guards in her palace would often point at their enemies, its steel shimmering in the sunlight. It was slightly curved at the tip and seemed to be made of a different material.

Eliza held it tighter and bent her legs slightly while extending the weapon forward, mimicking the stance of the pirates. She slid the sword through the air, waving it around viciously as if she were fighting someone at the end of the weapon's tip.

She tried to do some spins, simply play around with the sword and get herself used to the feel of the weapon against her hand but knocked a candlestick and a vase off the table across from her bed, wincing as the former shattered and the latter clattered against the ground.

As if the inanimate objects were people, Eliza pressed her index finger against her lips and shushed them anxiously, only realizing how ridiculous she must have looked seconds after.

Pressing her lips together in embarrassment, Eliza slid the sword back into its sheath and tucked it beneath her right arm. In her head, she prayed that the crew was still sleeping and that the noise she'd made in her room had stayed there.

It would be morning soon and she needed to hurry. She couldn't distract herself anymore.

As Eliza made her way to her door and twisted the knob open, she simply hoped that she was making the right decision.

A harsh breeze blew against her face upon stepping out of her room, her hair brushing off her shoulders and leaving her neck bare as the cold nipped at her skin. With a shudder, Eliza wrapped her arms around herself and looked around warily, clenching the sword in her right hand tighter in the case that it'd be necessary to use it.

Eliza stalked forward slowly, her body growing tenser with each step she took across the deck. The wooden floorboards beneath her feet creaked faintly and she tried slowing herself down, not wanting to wake anyone and get caught.

She shuffled to the middle of the ship, stopping in her tracks and looking at her surroundings with much cautiousness before letting go of her breath.

Her fingers were wrapped tightly around the sword's handle to the point that they seemed to go numb and although she knew that in the case of an attack she'd have no time to pull the blade from its sheath, she would most likely have enough time to hit them and run away.

A few seconds passed before Eliza heard boots stepping down on the floor behind her and a hand grasped her upper arm tightly. Her eyes widened and a shrill screech escaped her throat, being reduced to a muffle as the shadowy figure clasped a hand over her mouth and hushed her.

"Quiet, you'll wake the whole ship with that scream," The figure hissed beneath their breath, removing their hand from her mouth when she went quieter.

Eliza held back her agitation and reduced it to a simple and understanding nod, still slightly shocked and taken aback.

The figure raised a lantern to their face and Eliza squinted at the bright light that nearly blinded her, recognizing the pirate as one of the men that Captain Hamilton seemed close with and coincidentally being one of the men that captured her.

"Let's go," Hercules spoke and whirled on his boots, not looking back to make sure that Eliza followed him.

She was still stunned and her mouth had gone dry from all her anxiousness. She tried to remember to herself what she'd been thinking before.

She could do this. There was no reason to be afraid. They wouldn't hurt her considering who she was.

The reassuring thoughts did little to ease her nerves but she'd take what she could get and move on forward.

She followed close behind him across the deck, the only source of light being Hercules' lantern which barely helped her to see and only made her fear that she would trip and alert the whole crew.

The waves crashing against the side of the ship managed to cover the sound of their footsteps and calm Eliza to an extent, drowning out her thoughts with its powerful roaring.

She followed him until he stopped before some stairs and stepped down slowly, careful to not make much noise. Through the faint candlelight, Eliza squinted and tried to identify how low the stairs went before Hercules turned and waved at her to follow him.

Holding on to her breath, Eliza took a step down the stairs and lifted her nightgown so she wouldn't accidentally step on her skirt, still looking up at Hercules. As they reached the end of the stairs and continued to move forward, Eliza couldn't help but wonder what Laurens had meant.

He claimed to be able to teach her how to protect herself and yet she still didn't understand. The sword in her grip must have been necessary for it, considering that he had dropped it in her bed with little to no explanation.

The space they walked through was cramped and Eliza could have barely stretched her arms to the sides without feeling the walls against her touch. A putrid smell filled the air and Eliza could feel the sickness growing in her stomach at the thought of the vermin who most likely lurked through the ship.

A loud snore could be heard from one of the rooms they passed and Eliza held her breath and walked on her tiptoes, realizing that the crew's quarters were close and could have heard any subtle noise if they weren't quiet enough.

Both stayed silent throughout the rest of the walk, Eliza being far too distracted with her thoughts to even notice when Hercules stopped in his tracks and accidentally collided with him. She held in her breath when he turned his head to glance back at her, muttering a quick apology at him.

Hercules gave no reaction, simply raising the lantern once again, shaking his head and taking a few steps forward. Eliza peeked over his shoulder, seeing the door that stood in front of him. Extending his hand to the knob, he pushed the creaky door open and walked inside.

Eliza quirked a suspicious brow but slowly stepped inside after him, looking around the cramped storage room and noticing Laurens and Lafayette sat on the barrels, sharpening their swords.

They didn't seem to notice that she and Hercules had arrived, only showing a reaction and raising their head when the latter closed the door harshly and Eliza jumped up in surprise.

A chill went down Eliza's spine when the two men looked up at her, their stares sharp yet emotionless as they stopped sharpening their swords. She held her gaze and straightened herself, occasionally looking to the side uncomfortably and rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Did anyone follow you?" Laurens spoke up, having already stood up from the barrel and crossed his arms.

Eliza's head perked up, her mouth opening to respond before Hercules cut her off and walked past her.

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did," he spoke, his eyes narrowing at Eliza. Without a reply, Eliza took a step back and wrapped her arms protectively around herself, a part of her having to fight the urge to snap back at him.

"Good." Laurens nodded, eyes landing on Eliza and studying her for a few seconds before turning around and grabbing his sword from where he'd left it. "Well, we have to get started now. The sun will be up soon and we can't waste another minute."

Quirking a brow confusedly, Eliza walked forward slowly and looked up at Laurens. "Started on what? I am yet to understand anything."

"Well, if you're going to join the crew, you need to understand how we work around here," Hercules chimed in. "You cannot just hope that someone will swoop in to save you every time you're in trouble."

At his reply, Eliza's eyes widened and her mouth opened wide in surprise. They thought she wanted to be part of the crew? Did they have any idea of how much she wanted to get out of there?

"I'm sorry? Join the what?" Eliza repeated again, hoping that she'd misunderstood him.

"The crew. Isn't that why you came here?" Laurens responded, swinging the sword over his shoulder.

She shook her head, her eyes darting angrily between John and the others, her voice like venom. "I came here because you said you could teach me how to protect myself. Not to join your crew."

The question still hung over her head. She was being held captive here, how could they believe that she'd join if it would only hold her back from returning home? And to dwell around pirates as well. They were out of their minds.

Lafayette and Hercules turned their heads to John, showing their irritation clearly.

"So, we're wasting our time here with her highness? What's the point, Jackie?" Lafayette glared tiredly, clearly wishing that he were still asleep.

Laurens' ears blocked off Lafayette's words, raising a hand to the side of his head to hush him before walking towards Eliza. At the short distance between the two of them, Eliza stepped back slightly yet kept her gaze tight on him, having to raise her chin slightly to maintain it.

"I understand why you don't want to join," he spoke lowly, his arms crossed and chest puffed out to intimidate her.

"I don't think you do, sir." Eliza mimicked his stance and matched his tone, having already grown sick of letting the pirates intimidate her.

"You think we're just smelly, brutal and sick men. You don't want to associate yourself with us," Laurens continued.

"No, why would I? Do I have a reason to do so?" Eliza sassed. Although, he was correct about the first part.

The air grew tense between the two, silence enveloping the room for a moment as the only noise that could be heard was the waves crashing against the side of the ship and the floor creaking every once in a while. Finally, Laurens broke his gaze and moved backward from Eliza, still staring blankly.

"No, I guess you do not," He said and glanced momentarily at the sword that still hung by her side. "If you wish to leave, we won't stop you."

Eliza nodded quickly, refusing to waste her chance to get back to her room and away from there. "Thank you."

Whirling around on her heels, Eliza began to walk towards the door, breathing out in relief at having left the room in one piece. Rubbing her thumb against the grip of her sword, she was simply grateful that she had no reason to use it.

From behind her, she heard that quiet scraping sound of a sword being unsheathed and suddenly, her stomach turned uncontrollably. Footsteps thundered harshly against the ground, growing louder as Eliza felt the presence of someone approaching at a swift pace.

Eliza turned her head just as she reached the door, gasping in fright as she barely dodged the sword Laurens swung at her head. He managed to make a scratch on the door behind her, giving her enough time to run below his arm and to the other side of the room.

"What are you doing?!" Hercules shouted at him.

"Jackie, have you lost your mind?!" Lafayette followed, equally concerned as Hercules.

It seemed as if Laurens had chosen to ignore the yells directed at him, lunging towards Eliza and swinging his sword at her simply far enough to do any damage but close enough to terrify her out of her mind.

Without even thinking, she yanked the sword out of its sheath harshly, nearly falling back from the force she'd pulled with and held it up as a shield. Laurens' blade resonated against hers before Eliza pushed him back with her sword, turning and running away as fast as she could.

Laurens quickly caught up with her, much to Eliza's dismay as she spun around and raised her sword against his before he blocked it and clashed his blade forcefully with hers. From the force with which he shoved, Eliza stumbled back and nearly fell to the ground, supporting herself with one arm on the ground as her breathing grew louder.

Her whole body was aching and burning, the pounding in her head continued and brought her to a stop. She was tired and scared and she wanted to get out of there. Her arm gave in and she dropped to the ground on her knees, wisps of hair dangling over her eyes and being blown slowly by her breathing.

Every day continued to be a living nightmare for her and she just wanted to get back home. A part of her wanted to cry but she didn't allow herself to crumble like dirt.

Taking advantage of Eliza's distracted state, Laurens started towards her, lowering his sword slightly till the tip of his blade reached the ground.

Eliza lifted her sword to defend herself, her grip having already loosened as Laurens clashed his blade with hers and the weapon flew across the room and away from her. She didn't crawl towards the weapon, simply staying put where she was and looking down at the ground, her vision clouded.

Steel touched her shoulder lightly, cold and sharp against her skin as she slowly stared up at Laurens who held his sword against her body. He was going to kill her, she knew he was. Wasn't that his intention when he asked her to come alone?

"You put up quite a fight. You held yourself up. That won't help you out in a battle though," he said quietly, removing the blade from Eliza's shoulder and sliding it back into the sheath that was fastened around his waist.

"You—" Eliza whispered, still in shock and surprise. "You're not going to kill me?"

"What? No? Just because I'm a pirate doesn't mean I'm a mindless brute, if that's what you were thinking," Laurens responded with a glare.

She bit back her tongue, glancing to the side uncomfortably, and feeling foolish for a second. And here she was on the ground of a smelly old cargo room, thinking that the pirate before her was about to kill her and dump her body into the ocean.

"Stand up." Laurens extended a hand towards her, one that she hesitantly took ahold of and pulled herself up with before yanking it away from his grip.

Confusion still hung in the air but Eliza managed to understand why he'd attacked her, even though she didn't enjoy the action in the slightest.

She remembered why she had come here in the first place. Everyone in that ship thought that she was just a defenseless, meek princess and didn't expect her to fend for herself. Eliza didn't want that.

She didn't want to run off in battle, be saved, or rely on anyone there. Especially the captain who she undoubtedly believed felt so smug after saving her from Tarleton.

"Does the offer still stand?" Eliza asked, arms wrapped around herself.

"You want to join our crew?" Lafayette answered for his friend, standing from the barrel he had sat on once again.

"I want to learn how to sword fight, sail, anything you pirates do." She left out the part of her joining the crew, still refusing to identify herself as a part of their ship.

Laurens, Hercules, and Lafayette glanced at each other, seeming as if they communicated with their eyes only before Laurens turned to Eliza, brought his hand closer to his mouth, spat on it, and extended it towards Eliza.

"Welcome to the crew, lass," he spoke with a serious tone and maintained his eyes on Eliza.

Grimacing at the dirty hand extended towards her, Eliza pushed it away with a forced smile and nodded her head happily instead.

She was already one step forward.

~~~

Much to Eliza's relief, the three pirates had agreed on beginning her training the following morning since they already believed that they'd lost enough of their precious time with convincing, as Laurens called it, Eliza to join their crew.

By the time that they finished talking, morning had arrived and everyone was already awake and getting ready for the day. Laurens and the others managed to blend into the crew easily as they began to get ready as well while Eliza stayed back, waiting for everyone to leave their quarters so she could get back to her room.

She had to fight the urge to fall asleep in that room, having already grown exhausted from the previous day and her quite intense morning. Luckily, everyone had already left by the time that she was already preparing herself to lay down and rest.

Pushing the door open, Eliza made her way into the hallway and glanced around warily to make sure that no one could see her and that she was safe to roam out of there and into her bedroom.

She clutched the sword at her side, wondering how she would manage to sneak the sword across the ship and into her room without anyone noticing. It definitely wasn't small enough to hide inside her nightgown and she couldn't risk anyone seeing it.

Her feet stepped lightly across the floor, creaking with every cautious step she took with the intention of not making any noise. Above her, she could already hear the crew stepping around the deck and making the noise they usually made in the morning.

It brought her a sense of relief knowing that the crew was loud enough to drown out her footsteps and that sound-wise, she would be alright. The real concern was her weapon and how she would sneak it out. Hopefully, the crew would be far too distracted in their usual duties to notice her.

She moved up the stairs, her back hunched over slightly before studying the dozens of people hustling across and making it out into the deck.

"Just get to your room, Eliza," she murmured to herself, pressing the sword against her back, taking a deep breath and making a beeline to her room.

Eliza had to push and shove past multiple people, spinning around every time they turned to look at her in an attempt to hide the sword on her back. Theodosia approached her for a moment to speak but Eliza apologized and kept moving forward without looking back.

At the sight of her room, Eliza's shoulders slumped relievedly and a satisfied smile grew on her face. She had done it. Whirling around, she backed towards her room and extended her hand to the knob.

"Schuyler," A voice rang out from the dark corner beside her room, frightening Eliza as she turned towards the figure.

"What—" Her voice squeaked, eyes wider than ever before identifying the man before her, her tone shifting seriously. "Oh, Captain Hamilton. It's you. What a treat."

"Good morning, your highness," Alexander said, noticing her glare and correcting himself. "Ah, I'm sorry. Eliza."

"Good morning, Captain," she returned, keeping her fiery gaze tight on him. "Have you grown bored? Is there a reason for you to come here before my room?"

Alexander didn't respond immediately, shifting the hat atop his head and placing his hands behinds his back. "I can assure you, I come here not out of boredom."

A chuckle left Eliza's lips and she could simply wonder what it is he wanted. "No? Mind telling me what was your true reason?"

"I would like to thank you for yesterday."

"For doing what exactly?" She quirked a brow.

"Well, you did help me beat Tarleton so I have to thank you for that." Alexander leaned slightly against the wall, avoiding her gaze.

"Oh," she murmured, looking down as well. "Well, you're welcome, Capta—"

"However, you did enter my quarters and looked at my personal journal—"

Of course. Of course, he wouldn't forget that.

"Well, I apologize for that, Captain." She put on a mock guilty expression. "It must have been so horrible to have someone else look through your personal diary—"

"Journal," he corrected.

"—Your personal journal and basically violate your privacy. Surely, it can't match other things like, I don't know, being kidnapped," Eliza spat. "I pity you truly, Captain."

Alexander didn't answer to her remark, pushing himself away from the wall and walking past her, his shoulder brushing against her own. "I have to attend other matters."

"And I won't keep you," she muttered through gritted teeth, opening the door and slamming it shut.

She held back her anger and walked to the bed, already stumbling as she let the tiredness take over her and sunk into the pillows. Her eyes closed in hope of some rest and she simply hoped that when she awoke, all thoughts of the Captain would fade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY
> 
> So I decided to impulsively post this story that is originally on my Wattpad account one day and didn’t write any author’s notes so sorry for that.
> 
> Yeah. Hi. I’m Vee, nice to meet you and see that you guys enjoyed my story. Thank you for the comments on this story, they really brighten my day.
> 
> If you guys have any constructive criticism, you can happily write them in the comments.
> 
> Bye!


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